If you are new to the game of golf, you may have heard of the term tee time.
Although everyone loves a good “tea” time, your golf “tee” time is quite different.
In this guide, we will explain everything you need to know about tee times so that you can get out there and enjoy some more golf.
What Is Tee Time?
A golf tee time is a time that you are to tee off from the first hole.
This is the time that you start your round of golf.
You only get one tee time for the entire eighteen-hole round, although there is the general pace of play guidelines for the other holes.
Tee times start bright and early in the morning, usually around 7:30 for most golf courses, and they go all the way through the day.
Most of the time, tee times will stop around 4:00 or so.
After 4:00 golf courses, assume that it will be difficult for players to get 18 holes of golf in before it gets dark.
Some players may go out and play a few holes at this point in the day, but the tee times are generally not as strict.
How Early Should You Arrive For Tee Time?
Technically a tee time is a time your group should be on the tee box hitting your shots.
If you are not to the tee at this point, then you could very likely lose your spot.
If you have a 9:30 am tee time, you do not want to show up to the golf course at 9:30.
You will need to arrive at least a half-hour before your tee time.
Before heading to the tee, you will need to pay for your round of golf, make sure your shoes are on correctly, hit a few practice shots, and take a few putts.
In addition, you may need to grab something to eat and stretch as well.
All of these things take time, and it will not be appreciated or tolerated if you are late for your tee time.
Many golfers find that a full hour before tee time is the perfect amount of time to get everything done at a leisurely and calm pace.
It’s not good for your golf game to be running up to the tee to hit your first shot.
What Happens If You Miss Your Tee Time?
If you miss your tee time, you may not be able to play golf that day.
Sometimes you will be able to run up and find the spot on the course where you were supposed to be, but for the most part, you will have to wait until the next available tee time.
Most golf courses are pretty booked up during the day.
If they were to hold your tee time and wait for you, it would throw off the other times for the day.
It’s very similar to missing your flight.
If you happen to be a minute or two late, there is usually something the course will do for you, but for the most part, you will miss your round.
It’s imperative to show up for your tee times because golf courses are on strict schedules, and it will cost them money (and probably cost you money) if you miss your times.
How Do You Make A Tee Time?
Each golf course has its tee time reservation system.
Although this used to be done mostly over the phone now, you can get tee times on the computer as well.
For private country clubs, there are usually reservation systems where you put a card in a week in advance with your desired times.
The starter and golf course staff will do what they can to accommodate everyone, and then the tee sheet will be released for everyone to see.
At a golf course like Bethpage Black in New York where tee times are tough to get, there are some interesting ways to get tee times.
The first few times of each day are blocked out for what they call “walk-ups.”
The walk-ups are the first few people to show up at the golf course without a tee time.
People will sleep in the parking lot to get one of these times, and if they end up sleeping a little too late and miss getting in line, they will lose their chance.
There is quite a bit of history at this golf course and what it takes to enjoy a round.
It is undoubtedly much different than going online and pressing a button or two to get yourself a tee time.
How Long Is A Tee Time?
Tee time will usually last about five to eight minutes.
If your tee time is 10:00, it is expected that by about 10:05 or so, your group is on their way to their next shot.
This allows the tee sheet to stay clear and on time for the rest of the day.
This interval also makes sure that the proper pace of play is set for the entire round.
If a golf course has one tee time following another, one slow group could ruin the entire pace of play.
Most of the time, these golf courses will have a ranger riding around to check on everyone and make sure that they are all moving along as they should.
Why Is It Called “Tee Time”?
It is called a tee time because of the area of the golf course that you are intended to report to for your tee time.
The teeing ground is where a golfer hits their first shot from.
Since you will be playing from this teeing ground at a specific time, it is called a tee time.
The tee box is the area between the tee markers.
The box goes back two club-lengths behind the markers.
When a golfer tees off to play a hole, they need to be in this tee box area, or they will be teeing from the wrong location.
There are several different tee markers at each golf course.
They are all placed at different yardages, and where you play from will depend on your skill level.
How Often Are Tee Times?
Golf tee times need to be spread out so that golfers are not piling up on top of each other on the golf course.
If a course let one group after another tee off, then they would be on top of each other the entire round.
This will cause issues throughout the entire day.
Some golf courses will spread their tee times out nine minutes, and others will do twelve.
For a golf course, the more tee times they can fit in a day, the more money they can make.
For a golfer, the less tee times a golf course does in a day, the better their pace of play will be.
What Is The Best Time Of Day To Play Golf?
There are lots of good times to play golf during a day and even a week.
If you happen to be a very fast golfer, you are going to want to get out on the golf course as early as possible.
Usually, nothing is stopping the first few groups on the course from getting their round done in less than four hours.
In the middle of the day, you will see the pace of play start to slow down quite a bit.
Around lunchtime, people start to stop and get lunch and move to the next hole.
This can take some time, and it will slow down the overall pace.
At the end of the day, the golf course starts to clear up quite a bit, and the pace of play can speed up a little.
If you want to get a quick nine-hole round in after work, the golf courses are usually pretty open.
Conclusion
The concept of a tee time is not a difficult one.
If you want to play golf on a course, you are going to need to set an appointment to do so; this is your tee time.
Always make sure you show up early for your tee time and that you do everything you can to get off the tee in a short period.
If you are not sure what your tee time is, it’s perfectly acceptable to call a golf course ahead of time and make sure you have the right time.
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